Embassy murder suspect found dead

PC Yvonne Fletcher was killed by a bullet fired from inside the Libyan embassy during an anti-Gaddafi demonstration in London in 1984. Photograph: PA

A former Libyan diplomat alleged to have been involved in the 1984 killing of PC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London has been found dead in Tripoli, the country's National Transitional Council (NTC) has confirmed.

The announcement came as it emerged that Metropolitan police officers may be sent back to the Libyan capital to pursue Fletcher's killers after Downing Street said it had been talking to the NTC about how to deal with such "legacy" issues.

"The police investigation needs to conclude," a spokesman for the prime minister said. "If the Met need to go to Tripoli, one of the questions is when the conditions on the ground will allow that.

"It's a matter for the NTC as the interim authority. We have been talking to them about various legacy issues. In terms of helping to conclude the police investigation which started in 1984, it's a priority for the [UK] government."

Fletcher, 25, died from a shot fired from inside the embassy during an anti-Gaddafi demonstration. After an 11-day siege, 30 Libyans in the embassy were deported. Nobody was ever charged with her killing.

Several former Libyan diplomats have been named as responsible for either opening fire or ordering the attack. One of the diplomats, Abdulqadir al-Baghdadi, who later became chairman of the Libyan revolutionary committees, was found dead at his home in a suburb of Tripoli last week, an NTC official told Sky News.

Those seeking justice for Fletcher have claimed that a junior diplomat, Abdulmagid Salah Ameri, was seen firing a gun from inside the embassy.

The Crown Prosecution Service has said it is still waiting to see "a file containing the admissible evidence from a completed investigation. It would only be at that point we could give final advice."

The NTC has said that it knows the location of a third suspect implicated in Fletcher's killing, Matouk Mohammed Matouk, the Daily Telegraph reported last night. If correct, the revelation will add to pressure on the fledgling rebel government.

In 2007, after normalisation of relations between Libya and the west, Scotland Yard detectives flew to Tripoli to interview suspects. They returned in 2010 but were unable to conclude their inquiries.

"The investigation has always remained open and we remain committed to identifying those responsible," a Met police spokesman said.

The Foreign Office said that pursuing the investigation into the killing will be an important part of the UK's relations with the new government.

"The NTC has committed to fully co-operating in resolving these issues. During Chairman Abdul-Jalil's visit to the UK on 12 May he stated the NTC's willingness to work with the UK on resolving outstanding 'legacy issues'.

"We are in contact with the Met and stand ready to assist them in returning to Tripoli when the conditions on the ground allow."

There was no confirmation, however, of reports that a team of six SAS members and an MI6 officer were already in Libya tracking down suspects.

If any of the suspects were detained they would have to be handed over to the new Libyan regime. There has been some confusion about how willing the NTC would be to participate in such an investigation.

At the weekend Hassan al-Sagheer, an NTC member, suggested the new Libyan government would block fresh efforts to secure justice over Fletcher's murder.

At the moment, Libyan law prohibits the extradition of its own citizens. It does, however, allow for any of its nationals to be tried in Libya for alleged crimes that were committed overseas.

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